# don't

Pronunciation: say "DOHNT" US /doʊnt/, UK /dəʊnt/

## Verb

1. Contracted form of 'do not', functioning as a negative auxiliary with a main verb.
   - Simple: A short form of 'do not', used to say that something is not happening or should not happen.
   - _We don't usually eat out during the week._
   - _Don't forget to lock the door before you leave._
4. Contracted form of 'does not', used with a third-person singular subject. *(nonstandard)*
   - Simple: A short form of 'does not', used with a single person or thing as the subject.
   - _She don't care what anyone thinks of her._
   - _That old truck don't run the way it used to._
5. Placed before an emphatic negative subject such as 'nobody' or 'nothing' to form a strongly negative statement.
   - Simple: Used at the start of a sentence, before a word like 'nobody' or 'nothing', to make a strong negative point.
   - _Don't nobody around here lock their doors._
   - _Don't nothing happen in this town without everyone hearing about it._

## Noun

2. Something that must or should not be done, especially as listed among rules of conduct or etiquette.
   - Simple: Something that you should not do, often listed together with things you should do.
   - _Chewing gum during the interview is a definite don't._
   - _Every new employee receives a short guide to the office dos and don'ts._

## Interjection

3. Used as a sharp command telling someone to immediately stop what they are doing.
   - Simple: Said sharply to tell someone to stop doing something at once.
   - _Don't! That pan is still hot._
   - _He reached for the switch, and she shouted, "Don't!"_

## Contraction

Pronunciation: say "DUNT" /dʌnt/

6. Contraction of done it. *(archaic)* — Contraction of done it.
   - Simple: Contraction of done it. An old, no-longer-common way of saying 'done it'.

## Origin

"Don't" is formed from "do" plus the contraction "-n't" (from "not"). In some dialects its third-person singular use may come from elision, while in others it reflects not marking the third person with "-s" at all.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/don-t (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).